For the first time, the organization behind the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list has put out a North American edition, and three DC restaurants made the cut. Moon Rabbit, Albi, and Dōgon landed at 17th, 34th, and 37th on the list, respectively.
Moon Rabbit, chef Kevin Tien’s “reimagined Vietnamese” restaurant in Penn Quarter, secured two James Beard finalist spots last year. The 50 Best list highlighted dishes like the freshwater eel mochi beignet and desserts by pastry chef Susan Bae.
It’s been an especially big year for Dōgon, chef Kwame Onwuachi’s ode to the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in DC’s Salamander hotel. It recently earned spots on Bon Appetit’s list of the 20 Best New Restaurants of 2025 and the New York Times’s list of the 50 best restaurants in America.
Navy Yard Palestinian eatery Albi landed the #1 spot on Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants this year (all three of the honored restaurants cracked our top five), and has also received plenty of accolades lately, as have chef Michael Rafidi’s other restaurants, La’ Shukran and Yellow.
The ceremony for the new 50 Best Restaurants list took place in Las Vegas on Thursday night, with the number one spot going to Atomix, the Korean tasting room in Manhattan. The list, published by the London-based digital company William Reed, famously honored Copenhagen dining room Noma for years with the top spot. Food writers have sometimes criticized the company’s choices as predictable and fixated on luxury.
